Shadows and Sunlight
by Saiyaness28
Summary: When Scarlett returns to Ellison for Silas and Rosie's wedding, she discovers that two mysterious Fenris hunters are following her. She befriends them and starts to fall for one of them, only to discover that they're there to kill the Potential, Silas.
1. Chapter 1

Shadows and Sunlight

**(Disclaimer! **_**Sisters Red **_**and all characters therein are the property of Jackson Pearce. I DO NOT own rights to the novel in any way, shape, or form. Enjoy!)**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter One<span>

A crisp, white card burns a whole in my jeans' pocket. I pull my red cloak tighter around my frame and sway my hips a little more enticingly. I glance over my shoulder, my one good eye scans the street for anyone who might be following. A group of men, standing outside the Seven Eleven, are watching me, wolfy grins on their handsome faces. I smile back at them. To them, it might seem flirtatious, but really it's relief. I need this hunt…now more than ever. I have to get the card in my pocket out of my head before I go crazy. Hunting Fenris has always been a good way to get my mind off of things that tick me off.

_Follow me. Please. I need to kill you._

The two younger guys cross the street and begin to follow a few feet behind me. I flip my hair, allowing them to get a whiff of my floral perfume and discreetly adjust the strands of hair that fall over my eye patch. I hear cat calls from behind me. They're taking the bait. I'm no where near Rosie's level, but I can still lure out the young and stupid ones, so long as I keep my scars covered. Once again, my mind is torn away from the hunt and settles it's focus on the card. It doesn't take much for that old, familiar mix of happiness and anger to settle itself in my chest. Every time I'm reminded of my little sister, it returns.

_Rosie. I miss you. Hunting Fenris just isn't the same without you and Silas. Silas…I secretly hate your guts, but I miss you too._

"Hey, girly. Where you headed?" Asks one of the men.

I stop at the end of the block and wrap my fingers around the handle of my hatchet. I glance back at them briefly. They both appear to be in their early twenties. One, wears a hoodie, the hood drawn over his head and a pair of sunglasses despite the darkness of this moonless night. He must be very knew. The other reminds me of Silas. He has shaggy brown hair and a pleasant looking smile. A plaid jacket hangs on his wiry body over a plain white tee. The real Silas' hair is much shorter now and that smile of his is reserved for Rosie alone. He smiles a lot these days. Rosie warns him that he'll have wrinkles around his eyes and mouth from smiling so much. I guess there are worst ways to get wrinkles. The boy before me looks more like the twenty-one year old Silas, the one that abandoned me to go to California, only to return and take my baby sister from me. I'll enjoy this fight. The grip on my hatchet tightens. I look at their wrists. They're not turning yet. I have to make sure that they're Fenris and not just a pack of jerks. I see the proof on both their wrists, tattoos in the shape of bells. The hair on their arms is starting to thicken.

"Nowhere, you're going." I say with a pleased smile. I pull out the hatchet and throw it as I spin around. The hatchet flips through the air and digs into the hooded one's forehead, snapping the brim of his sunglasses in half. He stands there, stunned, for a moment before exploding into shadows. The Silas look-a-like growls at me with growing fangs. His face shifts into the shape of a muzzle. He lunges at me and knocks me to the ground, his long nails digging into the flesh of my arms. His jaws snap at my throat, but I'm stronger than I look. I hold him at bay and knee him in the crotch. He yelps and rolls off of me. Blood is streaming down my arms as I jump to my feet and reach for the knife at my belt. I take the bone handle in my hand and stare down the twisted monster before me. He's fully transformed now, a soulless beast trapped between being fully wolf and fully human. The Fenris smacks his lips and licks his chops. His ocher eyes are ablaze with hunger. "You might be ugly, but you'll taste divine." He drawles with a gravely voice. "You Red Hoods always do."

_Red Hoods? _

The Fenris jumps at me again before I have time to register what he's just said. I slash at him with my knife. He dodges the sharp tip, escaping injury. I stab at him with a guttural growl of my own. He darts away from the blade and grabs my wrist. His grip is hard and crushing. He squeezes tighter and I drop the knife. I feel the small bones in my wrist crack. I cry out, despite myself, and he laughs with glee. His eyes look like they're on fire.

Suddenly, something whizzes by my head. The Fenris screams and throws me to the ground. I grip my wrist with my uninjured hand. The wrist is throbbing with pain and already swelling. I'm almost certain something's broken. My eye darts to the Fenris. He's staggering around, clawing at his eye, where an arrow is buried. A blur of red passes between the Fenris and I. A girl in a red cloak raises a wooden bow and pulls another arrow from the quiver on her back. She fires it into the Fenris, striking him in the chest. He's gasping and roaring in agony, but he's still not dead.

Another blur, passes before my darkening vision. A shadow stands before me. I almost scream, thinking it's another Fenris, at first. But then, the shadow turns slightly towards me and I see the lower half of a man's face, most of it hidden beneath a hood. A glimmer of blue shines from where his eyes should be.

"Rosie! Silas! You came back?" I gasp, tears stinging my eyes. I'm so relieved. Maybe the card in my pocket is a tasteless joke. Maybe they came to their senses and called the wedding off. Who cares? It doesn't matter! They're here. My sister and my best friend came back to me at last!

Rosie and Silas don't say anything. Rosie continues to fire arrows into the Fenris. The brute refuses to die. Silas stares at me and I finally begin to notice the scars that run deep across his cheeks, lips and chin. He's not Silas, I realize. I take a second look at Rosie. A short strand of platinum blond hair dances free of her hood as she pulls back the string of her bow. She's not Rosie.

The man turns away from me. The Fenris still refuses to become shadows. In a flash, a pair of long daggers is pulled from the man's cloak. He flings himself at the Fenris and buries the daggers' blades into it's smelly hide. Both find a way into the monster's heart and he finally explodes. Shadows scatter across the grey toned landscape of the Atlanta city street. The girl and the man look at each other questioningly. Their mouths move, but I can't hear what they're saying. My ears are ringing. Their forms blur. The pain shooting up my arm is excruciating. The girl runs up to me and kneels down by my side. The man keeps his distance. He starts to leave, but the girl pleads with him. He is hesitant, but finally he relents. He scoops me up, carrying me as if I were a tiny child who fell asleep on the couch. I notice that he smells like steel, irony and bitter and there's a strong limp in his gate. No…defiantly not Silas.

I think about the card in my pocket once again before I completely pass out from the pain. Rosie and Silas are getting married next Saturday. I love them both. I want them to be happy together, but I also want them to myself. When I saw these two come to my rescue, for the briefest of moments, I thought my selfish wish had actually come true. I was so happy. I'm a terrible person.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I just found this section and I couldn't resist writing a story for <em>Sisters Red<em>. I just finished the novel and it's now on my favorites shelf. Out of the entire book, I loved Scarlett's character the best. I've never felt like a Dragonfly myself so I related to her more than Rosie. I liked how the original book ended, but I'd like for there to be more to Scarlett's life than just hunting. She seemed rather lonely to me in the epilogue. So I got this idea about Scarlett meeting someone who's just as scared and driven to hunt Fenris as she is, but who's taking it way too far. **

**PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE REGULAR UPDATES!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I wake up in the emergency room two hours later. There's a cast, wrapped in red bandages, on my wrist. The scratches on my arms and shoulders aren't bad. They've been patched up with gauze. An elderly nurse with a kind face enters through the curtains that surround my bed. "How are you feeling?" She asks.

"Okay." I grumble. I sit up with a groan. "How did I get here?" I ask.

"Your friends dropped you off." She says with a smile. "You were hurt pretty badly in the accident. Your friends said you fell down some stairs. Your wrist is broken."

"My friends?" I raise an eyebrow questioningly.

Her pale brows furrow slightly over her eyes. "Yeah. There was a young blond girl, maybe eighteen years old and a guy with a lot of scars and a limp. Don't you remember them?"

I press my lips together. It wasn't a dream. There _were_ other hunters and they helped me. "Oh…yeah. I'm sorry. My head hurts. It's hard to think."

"I'll go get the doctor for you, sweetie." Says the kind old nurse. She leaves and I quickly get dressed and run out of there before someone can bill me.

I stuff my hands in my pockets and my fingers grope at the wedding invitation that is still hidden there. I feel angry for some reason.

_Why couldn't it have been Rosie and Silas?_

I'd have given anything for it to have been them coming to my rescue. Still, it was interesting to think that we weren't the only ones fighting the Fenris, that there were more of us out there who refused to ignore the truth of the Fenris' existence.

I return to my crappy apartment, the same one Rosie, Silas and I rented when we first came to Atlanta to find the Potential. I look around at the stark, water stained walls, the ugly flesh colored couch that's now hidden beneath a misleading blue cover, and the creaky floorboards under foot. It's a hellhole, but it's my hellhole. I do miss Ellison, even if it's filled with painful memories. Sometimes I think of going back and living with Rosie and Silas in Oma March's house. But, seeing them all lovey-dovey leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and besides, this is where I'm needed. At least…that's what I keep telling myself. Lately, I've felt like I'm just spinning my tires here. I'm just one woman against an endless sea of evil. You kill one and more come in to replace them. It's endless.

I don't remember ever feeling this way when Rosie and Silas were with me. We were a team and together it felt like we were actually accomplishing something. Now that we're living separate lives, I feel like I'm completely alone in this war. Rosie and Silas swear to me that they still hunt, but I don't believe a word of it. I know it's been months since they last picked up their axes and knives. And that was when I visited them last and forced them to hunt with me.

They're living normal lives now, making big plans for their future together and picking out china patterns. Meanwhile, I'm here, fighting harder than ever. They've gone back to the cave. I'm still in the sunshine.

I take the invitation from my pocket and read it over again as I collapse on the couch. I still can't believe they're actually getting married. I always sort of hoped that they'd get bored of each other eventually. Yeah…I'm an awful sister.

I need to know that this is the truth. I need to hear my sister's voice. I pick up the phone and dial her number. Rosie picks up on the third ring.

"Hello?" She asks. She giggles a little and I can hear her whispering "Stop it" to Silas in a muffled voice. He chuckles in the background.

"Hi, Rosie." I say softly. The pain killers they must have given me at the hospital have left me feeling out of it.

"Scarlett!" Rosie squeals. "I haven't heard from you in forever. Did you get your invitation?" She asks.

"Yeah…I got it. Next Saturday, huh?" She told me some time ago that Silas proposed. She had been crying on the phone, her voice filled with endless joy as she gushed over the modest diamond ring and the hopelessly romantic way Silas had promised to be with her forever. For some reason, I was skeptical of it. I didn't think they'd actually get married. It wasn't until I got the invitation that it all came crashing down on me.

"Yep!" She pipes excitedly. "I can't wait!"

I can't help but roll my eyes.

"When can you get here?" She asks. "I'd like for you to come down early so that you can help me get everything ready. I still need you to try on your dress. I didn't know your measurements."

"Actually, I was thinking of coming for a visit. I have something I need to talk to you guys about. Would it be alright if I came down tomorrow?"

Rosie is quiet for a minute. "Or course." She says softly. "I'd love that. I've missed you a lot, you know. We both have. It'll be nice, having a good long visit."

"Yeah. It will." I mutter. "I'll leave early in the morning, so I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

"Do you want Silas to come pick you up?" She asks. "He just got the car back from the shop."

"No, that's alright." I reply. I really don't feel like facing them any sooner than necessary. With how terrible I feel inside, I'm afraid I might attack Silas with my hatchet if we're alone together for too long. "I'll take the bus."

"Okay, Scarlett. I'll see you then. I love you." I can hear the grin in her voice.

"I love you too, Rosie." I squeak in reply and hang up. I toss the phone to the other side of the couch and fall over.

I fall asleep almost as soon as my head comes in contact with the soft cushion. I begin to dream. I'm walking down a forest path. The night is bright with the light from the full moon overhead. I'm wearing my red cloak. The hood is drawn over my head. There's a basket of food in my hand. I reach with my free hand for my hatchet, but it's not there.

_That's strange. I never leave home without it._

I come to a fork in the path. I look down both ways, unsure of which way to go. I hear a scream come from the left path. I recognize it and my heart squeezes painfully, as if half of it is being torn away. Rosie!

I drop the basket and dart down the left path. I run faster than I've ever done in my life as I follow the screams. The closer I get to their origin, the less frequent the screams become until all that I can hear is the snapping of jaws. I run around a bend in the road and a haunting sight fills my vision.

I cover my mouth to silence the scream that's fighting its way up my throat.

A Fenris with greasy brown fur stands over Rosie's crumpled body. Her beautiful face is twisted in agony, fresh tears still on her cheeks. She wears a blood stained wedding dress under a red cloak. Blood pools around her and covers her. Her chest has been torn open.

The Fenris turns towards me, a victorious grin on his face. I reach in vain again for my hatchet. Tears fall from my eye. I can't hold them back. I meet the Fernis' ocher eyes and a spark of recognition flies through me.

"Hello, Lett." The Fenris chuckles, confirming what I already suspect.

"Silas?" I scream. "What have you done?"

Silas turns back into his human form. He looks like the same old, handsome, friendly Silas I grew up with, but my sister's blood still drips down his chin and stains his hands.

"You know, you should be more careful not to stray from the path. Something might get you." He says and his eyes flare. I no longer see Silas. He's gone. Only the wolf is left. He lunges at me and grabs me by the throat. He slings me around and slams me against a tree. His fingers tighten around my throat as he lifts me a few inches off the ground. I gasp for breath and tear at his hands with my fingernails. My nails cut his skin, but the Fenris Silas doesn't flinch. He glares into my eyes with hate.

"Why?" I choke out. I have no strength, no will. There's no reason to fight. My sister is dead.

"I always loved you?" Silas mocks me. The memory of him confessing the feelings that he used to have flashes through my mind. He used to love me, before he fell for Rosie. "I can't believe you fell for that one." He laughs. "Aren't you supposed to be the strong one?"

"I-should have killed you." I gasp, my nails dig into his flesh again. I feel greasy fur begin to spout on the back of his hands.

"Yes. You should have. Maybe then your baby sister would be alive. It's your fault she's dead." He smiles a sharp toothed smile, enjoying the sound of my heart breaking. "I'm going to enjoy squeezing the life out of you." He says and tightens his grip. I gasp and flail my legs desperately. The edges of my vision begin to dim.

Suddenly, Silas screams in pain. He releases me and staggers back. He reaches around his back for something, but he can't quite reach whatever it is. He turns around and I see a hatchet is buried in his back.

I try to dodge around him, but Silas whips his arm around and snatches my hair. I cry out as he yanks me back to him.

"Let her go." I hear a masculine voice demand. The voice is deep and raspy. It echoes with authority and strength.

My eye shoots towards the voice. A tall man stands with a dagger gripped in both hands. Another hatchet is at his belt and I can see the hilts of two hunting knives sticking out of each boot. I stare at this man's face. Inky black hair that curls slightly hangs around his collar and in his eyes. His eyes are silver-blue, the color of steel. Deep scars dig across every visible piece of flesh. They're even worse than mine.

Silas curses at him with a snarl. He transforms, still holding onto my hair.

I don't know this man. I've never seen him in my life, and yet I want to run to him. A hand reaches out towards him and I realize that it's mine. A name rushes to the forefront of my mind. Before I know it, I'm screaming it out.

"Jett!" I scream. I hear utter sorrow in my voice. "Get out of here!" I plead. I'm overcome with the desire to see him safe. I don't want this stranger to get hurt because of me.

The man looks at me. I feel a chill, as though he can see straight into my soul. His scowl depends and a single word passes silently between us. Never.

With a fluid movement of his arm, one of the daggers flies through the air and strikes Silas in the shoulder of the arm that's holding me. Silas screams and tries to pull out the dagger with his free hand. He still won't let me go.

The man rushes towards us. His run looks strangely lopsided and awkward, but he's able to get to me quickly He cuts my hair with the other dagger, freeing me from Silas' hold.

"Run, Scarlett!" He yells at me.

I scramble to my feet just as Silas tackles the man to the ground. Silas tries to bite off the man's face, but he holds his jaws at bay. His bare hands keep Silas' teeth from coming any nearer. They hold the jaws open. Sharp teeth dig into the man's skin, so deeply that blood is running down his arms.

Snapping out of my stupor, I leap at Silas' back and rip the embedded hatchet from his back. He tries to scream, but the man won't release his jaws. The man pries his jaw open further, threatening to break it. I raise the hatchet above my head. My mind is reeling. My heart feels like it's disintegrating in my chest. My arms quiver. How had it come to this?

"Scarlett!" The man calls to me. The way he says my name, makes me feel as if I've known him since birth. A deep caring fills me and my strength returns. It floods my body, seeps into my muscles and bones. This is someone I have to protect.

I hold my breath as I bring down the axe. It connects with Silas' neck and in two swings, he's dead. Shadows flee into the dark woods that surround us.

I look around me. Silas is dead. Rosie is dead. She lies a few feet behind me, her beautiful wedding dress now drenched with blood.

I flinch at the feeling of warm hands on my shoulders. I turn my head and look up into the man's marred face. His hands stroke my shoulders and arms comfortingly. He buries his nose in my hair and lays a kiss on my temple. I can hear him breathing in my scent. My brain tells me that I should pull away from this man's embrace, that this is awkward and wrong. Yet, my body won't react. Usually, I avoid physical contact. I'm afraid of people being disgusted by my scars, but I know that he doesn't mind them. Instead of pulling away, I relax into his arms and allow him to wrap them around me.

"I'm so sorry." He whispers in my ear. "We were too late." He reaches up to run his fingers through my hair. His large hands are scarred and bleeding. I notice that he's missing most of the index finger on his left hand.

"Jett." I say. That name again. Is it really his name?

"Yes?" He asks.

"Help me take Rosie home. I don't want to leave her here."

He nods in agreement and we approach my sister's body. Jett gently closes her eyelids. He removes his black cloak and wraps Rosie up in it.

We start to walk up the path. Rosie's body is cradled in Jett's arms. I walk close beside him, a hatchet gripped tightly in my hand. I watch the road, but I'm not really seeing it. My vision is washed in red. My sister and I always shared the same heart and now that her half was no longer beating, mine was turning black. I can feel my soul twisting, becoming vengeful and cold.

I jolt upright with a scream. My breathing is heavy and my shirt is soaked through with cold sweat. I mutter a curse as I brush my thick hair back from my forehead. For a moment, I think of the hands that had been there just moments before, tenderly running bloody fingers through it. I shake the memory away, scolding myself for being silly. I remind myself that romance is out of the question for me, even if a man like Jett actually exists. Romance, kisses, tender touches, and weddings are reserved for Rosie. I'm married to the hunt.

I take a quick shower and throw some clothes into a duffle bag. I grab my small stash of cash from under my mattress before leaving. It's not much, just about fifty dollars. I place the crumpled bills into my weathered leather wallet. A swan made of folded pink paper is nestled there among the spare change. I smile as I run my fingers over it. I'd forgotten I'd put it there. I have hundreds of Rosie's origami masterpieces scattered about my house. Sometimes I find them in odd places. Once, I found a paper fish in the refrigerator, behind the carton of eggs. I still to this day don't know how it got there. I love it when I find the missing pieces. Every time it's like getting a quick visit from Rosie, like she's just stopped by to say hello before returning to whatever she and Silas are doing. It helps ease the loneliness.

With a sigh, I put my wallet back into my pocket.

The bus' motor sputters and spits loudly as I approach it. The doors creak open. A heavy set lady bus driver starts to smile at me, but her lips don't quite make the right shape. It falters as she registers my appearance. Scars cut across my skin, thick hair covers an eye patch. Band aids are speckled here and there. My jacket hides the bandages on my upper arms and shoulders, but my cast is there for all to see.

I quickly bound up the steps and go to take my seat. A few people that were sitting alone, shift to take up the entire bench or place a bag on the empty half. They don't want me to sit beside them. That's fine. I don't want to sit beside them either. I find an empty seat near the back. I hold my duffle bag in my arms, holding it tightly against me. The feeling is comforting, like a hug from a friend when you need it most. I'm reminded again of the man from my dream. He had held me so tightly and so lovingly. He kept me together. He was the glue that kept me from falling to pieces as I looked upon my sister's broken body.

I stare out the window with my forehead pressed against the glass. I groan quietly to myself. _It was a dream, get it out of your head, Scarlett. _I scold myself inwardly. No matter how much I want someone to be there for me like Silas is there for Rosie, it's forever out of my reach.

The driver puts the bus into gear and just as she's about to pull away, we hear someone pound against the side of the bus, screaming. "Wait!"

The driver stops and opens the door for the late comers. A girl with shoulder length blond hair sticks her head bounds up the stairs. "Thanks." She says breathlessly to the driver. "Sorry we're late." She peaks her head back through the door and calls out to someone. "Come on! Hurry up! They're about to leave us, slow poke!"

A man's arm pokes through the doors and she grabs onto it securely. "Help me up." Says the man, his voice low and raspy. I feel my blood freeze as she helps him up the stairs. Jett appears at the front of the bus. He looks just as he did in the dream, black curly hair hangs messily in his scarred face. Steel eyes beam from his skull. He stands unsteadily on his feet. He favors his left leg. Around his shoulders is a black cloak. The girl holds onto his arm as he hobbles towards the back.

As he passes me, his hand grabs at the back of my seat for support and he touches my long hair in the process. "Sorry." He says automatically. He glances at me apologetically. Our eyes meet and I see recognition flash over his features. "You?" He mouths.

I blink back at him in a stunned stupor. I don't know what to say. The girl looks just as bewildered.

"Hurry up and take your seats, please." The driver barks. Jett blinks out of our staring contest and the pair finish hobbling to the very back.

My hand reaches up to cover my mouth. My eye shifts, deep in thought. Jett was the guy who killed that Fenris last night! He's the other hunter! Where are they headed to? I glance quickly over my shoulder at the hunters, only to find them staring back at me. The girl looks in awe of the whole situation, but Jett looks irritated. He glares at me and I feel my head catch on fire. I whip my head around to face the front and slip down in my seat. This is going to be long ride.


End file.
